Voting apparatus.



W. A. SANFORD.

VOTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.2,1910.

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WITNESSES:

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W. A. SANFORD.

VOTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.2,1910.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

M 0 m m M Wm M ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. SANFORD, 0F DUNELLEN, NEW JERSEY.

VOTING APPARATUS.

Application filed April 2, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. SANFORD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Dunellen, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Voting Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved voting apparatus, arranged tosecure the desired secrecy of the ballot cast by the voter, without requiring expensive and cumbersome machinery.

For the purpose mentioned, use is made of ballots in the form of disks or the like, colored differently as to political parties, and adapted to be placed by the voter into a ballot carrier, having means for receiving the ballots as to the different offices to be voted for. The ballot carrier, after being filled by the voter, is placed on a stand and actuated, so as to drop the ballots into receptacles according to the offices to be voted for.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying draw ings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a ballot carrier, part of the shell being shown broken out; Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a like view of the same showing the slide carrying the ballots in position for discharging the ballots; Fig. 5 is a sectional side elevation of the ballot carrier, in posit-ion on the stand, for discharging the ballots; Fig. 6 is a plan view of the same; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a set of ballots to be used in the voting apparatus.

The ballots A are preferably made in the form of differently colored disks of clay, hard rubber, pressed paper or other suitable material, the disks of one color being used in voting for candidates of one political party, say blue disks for the Republican party, yellow disks for the Democratic party, red disks for the Socialist party, etc. The ballots A are placed by the voter into a ballot carrier B, as hereinafter more fully described, and the filled ballot carrier B is placed by the voter into a guideway C,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910. Serial No. 552,943.

formed in a stand D having receptacles E for receiving the ballots according to the oflices to be voted for.

The ballet carrier consists essentially of a shell F, preferably made of metal, and a slide G, preferably made of wood, and

adapted to be passed into the shell F, the

slide G being provided at one end with a suitable handle G for conveniently placing the slide G in position in the shell F or removing it therefrom. The slide G is provided on one face with a central row of recesses G one of these recesses, say the top one, being for the whole ticket, so that if a voter places, say a blue disk in the top recess G he intends to vote a straight Republican ticket, and if he places a yellow disk in said recess he intends to vote a straight Democratic ticket. The disks from said recess all pass into the same receptacle, but are counted according to their color for the respective parties. The other recesses G are for referendums, the one next the top one may be for or against constitutional amend ments, the next for appropriations, and the following for such other purposes as may come up in an election, each voter placing the desired colored disk into the recess for the particular purpose. The other face of the slide G is provided with transverse rows of recesses G each row standing for one office, so that the voter is enabled to vote a split ticket by placing the correspondingly colored disks in one of the recesses in each row. The disk ballots are placed into the recesses G or G at the time the slide G is withdrawn from the shell F, and the voter is in a booth, thus enabling the voter to secretly make the desired selection, and then when the slide G is filled it is placed into the shell F, as indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 8. The shell F is provided on one face with a central row of perforations F, normally out of register with the recesses G but adapted to be moved in register with the same, so that the disk ballots may dropout of the recesses G and the perforations F, as hereinafter more fully explained. The face of the slide F having the perforations F is also provided with perforations F adapted to register with the recesses G in the slide G but normally out of register with the same.

On the handle end of the slide G is mounted to slide a stop H, adapted to abut against the corresponding end of the shell F, and the said stop H is pressed on by a spring I set in a recess G arranged in the handle G of the slide G.

The bottom of the guideway C in the stand D is provided with apertures C, registering with the perforations F and F of the shell F, at the time the carrier B is placed in position in the guideway C, as 111- dicated in Figs. 5 and 6. The apertures C are connected with downwardly-extending tubes J, discharging into the upper ends of the receptacles E, reinovably held in the lower portion of the stand D, as indicated in Fig. 5. r

The voting apparatus is used as follows: A voter is provided with a ballot carrier B and disk ballots A of the different colors, and then the voter retires to a booth or the like and there withdraws the slide G from the shell F and then fills the recesses G or G with the correspondingly colored disk ballots, according to the intended voting. The voter now returns the slide G with the recesses G or G uppermost and containing the disk ballots, back into the shell F, until the stop H abuts against one end of the shell F, as plainly indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, so that the ballots are completely concealed within the shell F, as the ballots are out of register with the corresponding perforations F or F The voter now passes from the booth to the stand D and places the ballot carrier B into the guideway C, as shown in Fig. 5, and then presses inwardly on the handle G, so that the recesses G or G move-into register with the corresponding perforations F or F thus allowing the disk ballots to drop out of the recesses G or G and the corresponding perforations F, F into the apertures C, to then pass down the pipes J into the corresponding receptacles E.

It is understood that when the operator presses the slide G inward as described, the stop H moves outwardly and compresses the spring I, and after the disk ballots have been discharged as described and the voter releases the pressure of the handle G, then the slide G is moved outwardly in the shell F, to again move the recesses G or G out of register with the perforations F, F The ballot carrier B is now removed from the guideway G and is given to another voter, to repeat the above-described opera t1on.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that bythe arrangement described, outside parties cannot view the ballots contained in the carrier B, and consequently secrecy of the ballot is insured. After the polls are closed the ballots in the individual receptacles E are counted according to their colors for each office, and record is made of the vote.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A voting apparatus, comprising ballots in the form of bodies colored differently as to political parties, a ballot carrier having a perforate shell, and a slide for insertion in the shell and having recesses for receiving the ballots as to the different oflices, the recesses of said slide being adapted to be moved into register with the perforations in the shell, means for normally holding the said slide with the recesses out of register with said perforations, and a stand having receptacles for receiving the ballots according to the oflices to be voted for, the said stand having a guideway and the said ballot carrier being adapted to removably engage the said guideway.

2. A voting apparatus, comprising ballots in the form of solid bodies of different colors according to political parties, a stand having a guideway, and having receptacles for the reception of the ballots, the said guideway having apertures in its bottom leading to said receptacle, one receptacle being provided for each office to be voted for, and a removable ballot carrier adapted for insertion in the guideway of said stand and hav ing a shell provided with perforations for register with the apertures in said guide way, and a ballot receiver having spaced recesses for the reception of the ballots by the voter the said ballot receiver being slidable in the said shell to discharge the ballots from the said recesses, through the perforations of the shell and into the receptacles.

3. A voting apparatus, comprising a stand having receptacles for receiving the ballots according to the oflices to be voted for, and a ballot carrier for insertion in the said stand to discharge its ballots, the ballot carrier having a perforate shell, a ballot receiver in the form of a slide for insertion in the shell, the slide being provided with recesses for the reception of the ballots and having a handle at one end, the recesses being adapted to register with the perforations in the shell so that the ballots can drop out of the ballot carrier and pass into the said receptacles, and means for normally holding the said slide with the recesses out of register with the said perforations.

4. A voting apparatus provided with a ballot carrier having a perforate shell, a slide for insertion in the said shell and having a handle at one end, the slide having spaced recesses for the reception of the ballots, the said recesses being normally out of register with the perforations in the shell, and the said recesses being adapted to move into register with the said shell perforations on moving the shell and slide one relatively to the other, to allow the ballots to drop out of the ballot carrier, and means on the handle end of the slide for engaging the shell to normally hold the recesses of the slide out of register with the perforations of the shell.

A voting apparatus provided with a ballot carrier having a shell provided on one face with perforations, and a handled slide for insertion in the shell and provided on one face with a single row of recesses, one for the reception of a ballot for a straight ticket and the others for referendums, the other face of the slide having rows of perforations, the recesses in each row being for the reception of votes for the different candidates for each ofiice, the said slide and shell being movable one relative to the other, to move either set of recesses into register with corresponding perforations in the shell.

6. A voting apparatus provided with a ballot carrier having a perforate shell and a slide for insertion in the said shell, the slide having spaced recesses for the reception of the ballots, the said recesses being normally out of register with the perforations in the shell and the said recesses being adapted to move into register with the said shell perforations on moving the shell and slide one relatively to the other to allow the ballots to drop out of the ballot carrier, and a spring-pressed movable stop mounted on the said slide and adapted to abut against one end of the shell to normally hold the recesses out of register with the shell perforation.

7. A voting apparatus provided with a ballot carrier having a shell provided on one face with perforations, a handled slide for insertion in the shell and provided on one face with a single row of recesses, one recess for the reception of a straight party ballot and the others for referendums, the other face of the slide having rows of perforations, the recesses in each-row being for the reception of ballots for each oflice, the said slide and shell being movable one relatively to the other to move either set of recesses into register with the corresponding perforations in the shell, a stop slidably mounted on the said slide to abut against one end of the shell, to hold the recesses normally out of register with the shell perforations, and a spring on the said slide pressing the said stop.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

W ILLIAM A. SANFORD.

Vitnesses:

THEo. G. Hos'rnn, PHILIP D. RoLLHAUs. 

